FTL Technology
Faster then light technology refers to any technology that allows for superluminal travel or the bypassing of relativistic limits on travel rate. The technolgies used are as varied as the races that developed them, but ultimately many share some similarity. Citali The citali use machines known as interstellar engines, but how these function is unknown. At first it was assumed assumed that they used a form of quantum displacement, but later interaction has hinted at something far more complex. It is thought that they may use a form of Slip-Space, but no other race could use it as the intersteller engines recquire cooling by the vacuum of space and still get so hot that only a citali with their unique physiology could actually be near one when it is operational. Enkirid The enkirid faster than light travel is nearly identical to suracke. This is likely because the diplomatic ties beetween the two peoples allow the free trade of technology. Humans Humans first attempted FTL travel using "slip-space" technology, which in theory works by first creating of a "bubble" of completely separate space around the ship, that is then accelerated until it reaches superliminal velocities. In practice however, all attempts to create a separated volume of space have resulted in catastrophic failure and brief but massive gravity wells, one of which caused Jupiter and Saturn to collide. This sounded the death knell for any hope of functional slip-space technology. After the abandonment of slip-space, humans chose to explore quantum displacement as means of FTL. In essence, quantum displacement uses the inherent properties of quantum physics to instantaneously teleport a ship anywhere in the universe, however limits on power production prevent jumps of greater then a few hundred lightyears. As this is the most stable FTL method available to humans, it has become the standard for all human interstellar travel. Roruk Suracke The suracke use powerful engines to push ships past the speed of light, effectively skipping it without touching it. This is because Subjective Time will progress backwards, as the laws of relativity state, as one moves faster time moves slower. At the speed of light, subjective time (that which is experienced by the user) stops. This was previously believed to be one reason why FTL travel was impossible. However it has been discovered that if you push past the speed of light, and NEVER actually touch it, then you may move backwards through time. Therefore engine deceleration is programmed to end BEFORE activation so that as time works backwards it will shutdown correctly. However this also leads to trouble involving the amount of calculations necessary for travel, as in order to be possible, the engine must decelerate before activation, but with the prerequisite of engine activation. This makes it so that each distance requires a different length of acceleration due to the amount of time that moves negatively must equal that of the acceleration phase that comes before. This all must be programmed in advance, as any errors could badly compromise the safety of ship and crew. In order to skip past the speed of light, they use a "running on the train" acceleration, where, while skirting the speed of light, a second set of engines that is not as directly connected, will speed up, getting to the speed of light. At the same time the main engines will give an equal push, which will bring them to within a mm/s of the speed of light at the moment that the semi-attached engines hit their limit of distance, giving a jolt, that in addition to the regular force of the combined engines will push over the speed without touching it. (so what you are saying is that you can go from 0 to 60 MPH in a car without ever going 40 or 50? you might want to rethink this.) Benefits Due to the backwards movement through time that is equaled out by acceleration time, one arrives at their destination precisely at the same time they left their original destination. Paradoxes have been proven impossible through a long series of tests conducted by teams of Suracke scientists, therefore there are no time based dangers involved in this form of travel. Dangers Everyone must be sedated in cryogenic or stasis pods for the duration of the voyage, due to the fact that minds are not meant to function in reverse, and will actually badly damage itself in an attempt to consolidate what is happening. Being sedated fixes this by suspending the activity within the body, so it will not experience the negative time affecting it, much as it would normally not let the positive time affect it. If you touch speed of light instead of passing straight past it, you are sent infinitely into the void of space unable to stop as no computer can function with Absolute Zero subjective time, so cannot initiate braking protocols. Category:Technology